With Arms Wide Open
by ILove2Write13
Summary: 17 year-old Annabeth has never fawned over celebrities; the fact that her brother was one, kind of made her immune. One hot summer in California changes everything with Luke's entire band and a whirlwind romance. But all things must come to an end, and although she promises herself she will move on, Percy has left her a little something to be delivered in 9 months... AU, AH
1. Don't You Worry Child

_Upon the hill across a blue lake, _

_That's where I had my first heartbreak_

_I still remember how it all changed_

_My father said,_

_"Don't you worry, don't you worry child_

_See heaven's got a plan for you_

_Dont' you worry, don't you worry now,"_

_Yeah!_

_- Don't You Worry Child, Swedish House Mafia_

* * *

"Omigod! Tayla, look at this!"

I winced, shifting my feet as I waited for the obnoxiously peppy girl in front of me to move so I could buy my soda and chocolate bar and leave.

Omigod girl pointed to a picture in one of those trashy magazines (that we have all been guilty of reading at one point or another). Tayla, I'm assuming it was her, peered over Omigod girl's shoulder and squealed too.

"I know Bri! I love Chasing Waves too! Oh god, Luke is _so_ hot!"

Now was the point where I thought I was going to vomit.

And it was not because Bri and Tayla were doing good impressions of pigs, although that was contributing.

The main reason was because the boy in the magazine whom they were pointing at? That was my brother.

I know, I know, "WHAT?!"

In all reality, Luke Castellan is my brother. Half-brother really, but who cares? We shared the same mother, but not the same father. His father bailed when he was a kid, and my father actually stuck around. And when both of them died when I was eight and Luke was fourteen, he raised me almost entirely on his own, not even allowing us to be separated in the foster care system. When he turned eighteen, he was legally free, even though I, at twelve, was not. So he got an apartment, a job, and managed to get the state to let him take me.

Now, he was a rockstar, part of a band called Chasing Waves, that he created with his two friends, Percy Jackson and Apollo Montoya.

While the band toured, I went to my school in New York, but always managed to get time away from it to see him when he came through. Luke had worked so hard for me, I was happy to see him living his dream.

Even if all the fans they were gathering was slightly sickening. Seriously, I do not need to hear girls discuss how hot Luke was.

When they finally moved away, I plopped the soda and the chocolate on the counter and looked at the magazine that was to my right.

On the cover was the perky title, _Meet the Boys of Chasing Waves! Their take on girls, fame, and staying down to earth. _

I rolled my eyes, but didn't even look at the magazines again. I just got my chocolate and drink and walked out the door.

oOoOoOo

I lived in New York City, in an apartment right off of Times Square. I had fallen in love with my little apartment, until I saw the price. Even though I fought him every step of the way, Luke had surprised me with it as a gift before he went on his first tour.

"Annabeth!"

Luke's face was a little fuzzy on the Skype screen, but his smile was just as bright as ever.

I smiled and waved, "Hey Luke. How's England?"

Luke shrugged. "It was fun, but we're in Ireland right now. Dublin. The concert is at seven here. Are you going to be around? I can have Nico hold up the computer on the side."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled at him to let him know I appreciated the thought.

"You guys are five hours ahead of us. And as much as I appreciate the effort, I have to go back to school for my afternoon classes, it's only because I'm a senior that I can go off campus for lunch, and the free period after. God only knows what would happen to me if I Skyped with you at school. The less people that know about your fame, the fewer gold diggers who will stalk me."

Luke pouted, but I knew he was just playing.

Luke and I looked surprisingly alike. We both had the same thick, honey blond hair and high cheekbones. But whereas I had a somewhat sharp chin, he had a square jaw. His eyes were a bright blue, and mine were a dark gray. He had a little scar under his right eye, a relic from when he saved me from a gang of boys who were harassing me.

My hand drifted up to touch the little streak of gray in my hair, not even a centimeter wide, hidden behind my right ear and by curls. It had happened because even though Luke had stepped in to help me, the gang of thugs managed to get a swipe with a knife in. Apparently, my hair follicles were too damaged to keep the blond color, and I would have that little swath of gray for the rest of my life.

I forced myself to focus back on Luke, and then tried to hide my smile when I saw Apollo come sneaking up behind Luke, who was babbling too much to notice.

Apollo was the jokester of the group, as tall and blond and gorgeous as his name sake.

"Well, I miss you a lot, and you know, after one last stop in Moscow, the tour is done and we can go home, final-ARGH!"

I burst into laughter then, unable to contain myself when Luke was thrown off the chair and into some unseen object. Apollo hunched over, gripping his knees, unable to contain his laughter.

"Apollo, for crying out loud-"

Apollo and Luke had been best friends since high school; I remember coming home and seeing Apollo, with his fingers still wrapped from archery practice, strumming a guitar with Luke. Apollo would throw me in the air and then settle me down, ruffling my hair and ignoring my glare. He was like my second brother.

Percy and Nico trickled into the room then.

Percy and Nico were cousins, but Nico was the unofficial stylist/manager/general do anything that needs to be done. Percy had taken Nico under his wing when Nico's older sister, Bianca, had died in an accident. Poor Nico had been so lost, so when Percy offered him the opportunity to tour with them, Nico took it with both hands.

Nico and Percy shared the same thick black hair, but Nico had dyed parts of his a dark brown. Other than that, the similarities ended.

Nico was tall, but not too muscular. His skin was both pale and olive at the same time, and his eyes were darker than obsidian. He was always wearing jeans and a military jacket he had gotten from his father, who had died in action. His mother had passed away not too soon after.

Percy was tan, with brilliantly white teeth and bright sea green eyes. His shoulders were broad, and his fingers strong and thin, perfect for playing the guitar. He smiled, waving a little.

Luke met Percy the year before he got his record deal, so I never became very close with him. The few conversations here and there, and then the embarrassing moment when he threw me into the pool when I was wearing a white shirt and a black bra.

They three of them had rocketed to fame after the death of their friend, Grover.

Poor Grover. Thinking about him sent a pang through my chest.

I was bought out of memories when Luke pulled himself up, a sour expression on his face.

"I don't like any of you right now."

I laughed again.

"Well, when are you getting home? You know you guys can bunk at my place."

Percy scoffed from where he was, out of view of the camera.

"And share a room with these four when I've spent the better part of year on a tour bus with them? Not a chance. Tell her Luke."

At my questioning look, Luke said, "I found out that our special place was for sale. I was wondering if you and Thalia would want to spend the summer there."

For a second, I didn't know what he was talking about, and then suddenly I was thrown back in time to before our life fell apart, to when Mom and Dad were still alive, to when we would vacation on the beach in the lower part of California, on a stretch of beach that was privately owned.

"You bought Beast?!"

As a joke, we named the cabin 'Beast,' because in the middle of the night or during a storm or even just a strong wind, it would creak like a monster. It took some getting used to, but along with the sounds of the waves, it had been a relaxing way to fall asleep.

Luke smiled, happiness shinning through his blue eyes.

"Yup, I bought Beast and the area surrounding it for about 50 acres in either direction. Even if the paparazzi found out where we were, they wouldn't be able to get on the land without permission, and unless we are right there, they won't be able to get pictures of us."

I was so excited now. I was going to be out of high school this year, so this was the perfect way to spend my summer before I went to college in the fall.

"When are we going!?"

Nico chuckled a little at my enthusiasm, but checked his iPhone.

"We're going to be done with the tour and back in a little more than a week, in time for your graduation. They'll have to be disguised, of course. We'll rest for a day after that and then take the jet to Beast, and stay there until a week before you have to move into your dorm room."

Luke rolled his eyes at that.

"I still don't see why you can't have an apartment off campus like a normal person."

"I'll be a freshman, I have to live on campus."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it."

I half-laughed, half-sighed, before checking my watch. I would have to leave now if I wanted to get back in school before my next class.

"I have to go guys, but I'll call you later, or email. We need to iron out details and then I got to make sure Thalia can come, cause there is no way in hell I'm staying alone with you four."

"I'm wounded sister!"

"You should be. Love you!"

"Love you too, see yah!"

"Peace out."

"Bye honey!"

"See yah."

The chorus of mismatched goodbyes made me smile, the light feeling carrying me back through the streets and to my high school.

The thought of seeing my beloved brother made me so excited, along with the knowledge that when I was done with school and free for the summer, I was going to spending the summer with my friends in the water by the Beast, just like I did when I was little.

Life was looking good.

* * *

**A/N: Here we are! "With Arms Wide Open" won by a landslide, so here is the first chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Time Of Our Lives

_Where the water meets the land_

_There is shifting in the sand_

_Like the tide that ebbs and flows_

_Memories will come and go_

_All of these years_

_When we were here_

_Are ending_

_But I'll always remember_

-_Time Of Our Lives by Tyrone Wells_

* * *

Time flew by so quickly, I almost couldn't believe it.

Soon, I was done with my final exams, acceptance letters had come in (I was going to NYU!), my bag was packed, and my best friend went insane with planning a great graduation party for just us…and Luke, Percy, Apollo and Nico.

God only knows what chaos would ensue if the four of them appeared at a normal graduation party.

"OK, I have the outfits, food, music, and everything ready for tonight. You have your guitar and sheet music?"

Thalia was standing by the door, her silvery dress falling around her boyish frame.

Thalia was my best friend ever since she and I were in third grade and beat up the classroom bitch, Drew Tanaka, for making fun of our clothes.

Now, years later, we're getting ready for our graduation, where I would be performing. It wasn't even my idea; my advisor, Mr. Brunner, knew how much I liked singing and playing instruments as well as designing buildings and fencing. He convinced me to audition for a slot in the graduation performance, and by some miracle of heaven I got it.

God knows how I'm going to get through the day.

"HERE'S JOHNNY!"

Thalia and I screamed in unison, her reaching into her bag that was on her shoulder and pulling out her taser gun and mace, aiming it at the door, and me grabbing one of the baseball bats I hid in every room.

Poor Apollo. Obviously not expecting us turning on him with weapons, he dove out of our line of fire and rolled behind my kitchen island.

"Damnit Apollo! You gave me a heart attack, you ass, you're just lucky I didn't spray you!"

My heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. I pointed the end of my baseball bat at where I could see Apollo's messy blond hair. "You do that ever again, and you're gonna lose the ability to reproduce."

"She's got you by the balls, literally, Apollo."

Luke popped his head around the doorframe, and asked with innocence in his voice, "Am I going to get brained if I come any closer?"

I rolled my eyes but threw the baseball bat onto the couch before walking over and hugging my brother tightly.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"Do I get a hug too?"

"No."

"Touché…"

I rolled my eyes at Apollo, but did give him a quick hug before looking around Luke's back. Nico and Percy were there, watching everything with amusement.

I beckoned them into my apartment, giving them quick hugs as they went past me.

Luke flopped down on the couch, his hair too long and falling across his eyes.

"When are we going to your graduation?"

Casting a peek at my watch, I responded with, "I'm leaving now, but you might want to get there within an hour, as I'm one of the firsts to get my diploma, and then I'm performing."

Percy cast a look over to me with interest.

"You are? What are you doing?"

I lifted my guitar case in the air as an answer. "I'm playing and singing a song called 'Time Of Our Lives' by Tyrone Wells. I heard it in a TV show and I loved it."

Luke raised a hand straight up in the air, and I whacked it with my own palm.

"Oh, and remember to put on shades and beanies or something. Last thing I need is for every girl and some guys in my class to freak out because 'Chasing Waves' is there."

Apollo rolled his eyes, "You didn't want them to know you were related to Luke for your entire high-school career, you think that you would let it go this one day…"

I shrugged, plopping a kiss on the top of Luke's head and grabbed Thalia's hand.

"I need to go, and no, no one else gets a kiss that isn't my biological brother."

* * *

"Annabeth Marie Chase!"

There was thunderous applause and shouting (mainly from Thalia and the four goofs that had come) while I walked up to get my diploma. I was dressed in a black gown with gold trimming, a gold tassel, and red tassel that showed I had been on the high honor roll for more than two years. The only other person who had the red tassel was a boy named Malcolm, whom I have paired up with in a lot of my classes.

I took the diploma from Mr. Brunner, my advisor and the head of academics. He had guided me through all my years at school, and now he beamed at me in pride as we poised for a picture.

As I walked over the stage and down again to my seat, I realized that I was a high school graduate.

The rest of the ceremony passed by quickly. Thalia was called up, and there was screaming from me and the others, and then before I knew it, I was being called up to the stage where my guitar was already set up.

"Now we welcome Annabeth back to the stage, as she has prepared a song for the graduating class."

I could see some of the meaner girls (cough, Drew Tanaka, cough), but I didn't let it phase me. I was known as the brainiac, but none of them knew about my love for music.

Blame Luke for teaching me the guitar when I was still young enough for the instrument to be taller than me.

I didn't have a perfect voice, I was no Adele, but I had the slightly raspy, soft voice that Luke had.

I pulled the guitar strap over my shoulders and settled into the chair, making sure my hands were on the correct strings and the microphone was at a good angle.

I started strumming and singing.

_This is where the chapter ends  
__A new one now begins  
__Time has come for letting go  
__The hardest part is when you know  
__All of these years  
__When we were here  
__Are ending  
__But I'll always remember_

I spotted Luke in the back, smiling proudly. I loved that look; I remember coming home and showing him a test I had gotten a hundred on or my art project that had received a gold star, and the look he gave me made me feel like I was on the top of the world.

Also, the look on Drew's face when she realized that yeah, I could sing, was priceless.

_We have had the time of our lives  
But now the page has turned  
The stories we will write  
We have had the time of our lives  
And I will not forget  
The faces left behind  
It's hard to walk away  
From the best of days  
But if it has to end  
I'm glad you have been my friend  
In the time of our lives_

I kept on singing, until I got to the bridge, which was the que for Thalia on the piano to start, making it that much more dramatic.

_We say goodbye  
We hold on tight  
To these memories  
That never die  
We say goodbye  
We hold on tight  
To these memories  
That never die_

I felt myself tear a little. I was going to be leaving the place where I had so many fond memories.

Mr. Brunner, who was sitting in the front seat, smiled at me, his own eyes brimming with tears.

He had been almost like a father figure to me, and seeing him like that almost undid me, but I kept on singing and smiling.

_We have had the time of our lives  
And now the page has turned  
The stories we will write  
We have had the time of our lives  
And I will not forget  
The faces left behind  
It's hard to walk away  
From the best of days  
But if it has to end  
I'm glad you have been my friend_

_In the time of our lives_

After I had strummed the last chord, applause broke out in the crowd, and I heard Luke and the others screaming for me. Thalia came up beside me and took my hand, and we bowed together.

Mr. Brunner stood up near the microphone and shouted above everyone else: "Ladies and Gentleman, the graduating class of 2013!"

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for the great feedback! And yes, Annabeth is going to end up with a bun in the oven. I'm not too subtle, am I? Please keep reviewing! This is kind of a filler chapter, bringing the characters in and establishing some relationships, but the next chapter is going to be more interesting. Lastly, as I forgot to put this in the first chapter, I own nothing you recognize! Don't sue me, I ****have no money. If you doubt anywhere that I own PJATO (sarcasm very heavy here) refer back to this chapter!**

**Also, I put a Hunger Games/PJATO oneshot in my oneshot story, and no one reviewed :( I put so much work into it!**


	3. Here's To Never Growing Up

_Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs_

_With the boom box blaring as we're falling in love_

_I got a bottle of whatever, but it's getting us drunk_

_Singing, here's to never growing up!_

_-Here's To Never Growing Up, Avril Lavigne _

* * *

"SINGING HERE'S TO NEVER GROWING UP!"

I rolled my eyes and gently pulled the red cup from Nico's hands.

"Nico, I think you are a wee bit drunk..."

Nico pointed a finger at me, his eyes unfocused and spinning in different directions. The dark haired boy kept shifting from side to side, almost like he didn't know how to keep his balance anymore.

"I swear I am not drunk Thalia!"

The fact that I was blond and Thalia had black hair just showed how smashed he was.

Thalia, who was on the other side of the room, laughed so hard she fell off her chair.

It might not be the most glorious graduation party (haha, said the girl who was partying with one of the biggest bands in the world) with just the handful of us, but I was having a lot of fun.

There was music blasting from the sound system (I knew the neighbors were going to be pissed at me, but hey, whatever), there was some alcohol (even though Thalia and I were underage and not drinking) and we were jumping around like morons, eating too much food and just having fun.

At around one in the morning, every single boy was passed out.

Luke was sprawled on the futon, his head lolling at a weird angle, his feet flopped over the end and one shoe on, the other somehow on top of the fridge.

Apollo was on his stomach, an arm curled around my potted plant. He was snoring with abandon, drool making a small puddle under his cheek.

Nico was on the kitchen table, the stereotypical lampshade on his head. He had on no shirt and his pants were ripped on the right knee, probably from when he fell for the tenth time.

Percy was by far the funniest. He was on the other futon, curled up like a burrito in a pink shawl, his hair sticking up in different angles. As he was the first one to pass out, he had a complete makeover; fake-eyelashes, eyeshadow and liner, lipstick, blush, even a bow I had found somewhere in my room.

Needless to say, Thalia and I took _lots_ of blackmail photos.

Thalia and I were all packed up to leave as soon as the boys felt human again; I was buzzing with excitement of going back to Beast.

In the morning, Thalia decided to be very cruel.

She had taken my baseball bat, handed me earplugs and a video camera, and then grabbed a pot from the kitchen. She yanked open the blinds and started banging on the pot.

"WAKEY WAKEY! TIME TO LEAVE! GET OFF YOUR ASSES!"

The effect was as instantaneous as it way hysterical.

Nico jackknifed into position, turned a brilliant shade of green, and bolted for the kitchen sink, where he promptly threw up.

Percy jerked, his arms still pinned down by the afghan. He ended up falling over onto the ground, groaning.

Apollo smacked his head on the plant, before dry heaving a little.

Luke just groaned and put his arm over his eyes.

"You are all spawns of Satan."

"I take that as a compliment."

Luke cracked one eye to look at me, and I could feel the force of his glare even though I was laughing so hard I choked on my spit. Somehow I managed to keep the video camera steady.

"You are so cruel."

"I know. Get packed and shower, I want to head out soon. Nico, make sure you wash that puke out of the sink."

He flipped me the bird behind his back before he heaved one more time into the sink.

* * *

One of the best things about having a famous brother?

Two words: Private Jet.

When Thalia and I finally got the luggage and the drunken foursome out of the door (in disguises) and into the car waiting for us, it was only a matter of getting to the airport, and then settling into the official "Chasing Waves" private jet.

We could have gone in their tour bus, but it was too conspicuous, plus it would have taken longer and the boys were kind of sick of Stacy (yes, they named it) from living there for so long.

As soon as we boarded the jet and took off, Nico, Percy and Apollo passed out. Luke was feeling somewhat better, and he was slowly sipping ginger ale while Thalia painted my toenails.

"You know, I never understood why girls would want to paint their nails…"

Thalia didn't look up from what she was doing, just said, "It's therapeutic."

"Painting my sister's deformed toenail is therapeutic?"

I shot him a glare, since there was nothing within arms reach that I could throw at him.

"Why is it deformed huh? Who was the one that dropped their dictionary on it when I was three?"

Luke chuckled, crossing his arms. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Not if you keep calling it deformed."

That was how the rest of the flight went, with the zombies sometimes waking up to sip soda or eat a saltine cracker.

It took less time for us to get to California than I thought; whenever I flew out to visit Luke at his recording studio over break, it had taken about six hours non-stop. We were going to be there in five.

By the time we landed at LAX, all of the boys felt more human and less like a bundle of hurting body parts.

After being hastened into the limo by an array of body guards (nevertheless, the boys stopped three or four times to sign things for several extremely happy fans), we were off to Beast.

Apollo tried to be a tour guide to us, having grown up in LA, but he sucked at it. He would point out entirely random things - "Look, a hobo!" - and have no idea about the real landmarks.

"One of the days that we are here, can we please drive to Anaheim and go to Disneyland?"

"And have us get mauled to death by fans? I think not," Apollo said, looking at her in sheer horror.

Thalia turned her pout on him, and in less than three seconds, he melted.

"OK, we can put beanies or something on…"

Thalia's pout turned into a victorious smirk as the rest of the car laughed.

Thirty minutes later, we pulled through a small gate guarded by a young black man named Beckendorf, and then we were driving down a long driveway to Beast.

Beast had obviously been fixed up a little, but aside from a fixed roof and a fresh coat of paint, she was the same as she had been in my childhood.

Luke and I went running out of the car the minute the car was parked, screaming all the way.

The door was unlocked, and with practiced ease, we turned out feet sideways and slide down the perpetually slippery tiles and into the front room.

Beast was not so much a cottage as a really small house. The bottom floor had the kitchen, a bathroom, living room, and double French doors that lead out to the patio (that now boasted a grill and fresh finnish) and then the beach.

Upstairs wasn't so much upstairs as it was a loft floor. There were three bedrooms and another bathroom as well as a small flight of stairs to the peaked roof.

Many nights, when we were supposed to be asleep, Luke and I would sneak out of our rooms and go up too the roof and sleep on the rough material, counting stars and listening to the waves.

The others bounded in after us, some of them slipping and landing flat on their backs. Luke laughed so hard tears streamed down his face when Nico, who was holding a duffle, had his legs knocked out from underneath him by Percy, who had already fallen on the tile.

"You need to be careful on the tile. After a couple of days the sand builds up so you don't slip, but you can fall very easily on it," I explained, hauling a cursing Thalia to her feet.

"OK, three bedrooms are upstairs, Thalia and I dibs on the one facing the water, the four of you can split them up to what you will. We also get dibs on the bathroom up there, the four of you are just going to have to deal with using the one downstairs."

Thalia and I ignored the boys arguments on how unfair it was and just headed up to the master bedroom.

Mom and Dad had been too lazy to buy a larger bed and instead pushed the two twin beds together; Thalia and I would just pull them apart and we'd be all good.

The room was large, with bay windows that displayed a spectacular view of the sunset and the water.

Thalia and I chose our beds, pushing them around so we would get the most space of the room.

Luke popped his head in, a small smile on his face and my duffle in his hands.

"Happy to be back?"

I smiled back and nodded.

He beckoned me out into the hallway.

"I have something I want to show you."

He lead me out of the room and down to the stairs that lead to the roof. When we got there, I saw a small ledge that had been added to the back, some cushions on top.

"I had it added on. Now we won't have to worry about falling off the roof when we come up here."

I smiled again, patting the cushion next to me. Luke settled down comfortably, and together we watched the waves.

"I've missed you, you know. Even though you have been doing this for a year, it's still weird to not have you living with me."

Luke sighed and threw an arm around me, tucking me into his side like a football.

"I know. I wish that we could have been around more."

"But don't think that I want you to give up everything for me…Luke, you had given up so much for me, I want you to have this."

Luke dropped a kiss to my forehead, before resting his head on top of mine.

"I know. But I do miss you when I'm gone. You were all I had for the longest time, and it's hard to not have you there. Maybe you can take one year off of college and come touring with us."

"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"You could even bring Thalia if you wanted to."

Right when he said that, there was a crashing sound and then the sound of Thalia cursing in a mix of Spanish and Chinese (something that she had done since she learned both languages Freshman year), and the sound of Percy and Apollo laughing.

"You might want to rethink your last statement."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, but here is the next chapter! If there are any grammatical errors, I apologize, I was in too much of a rush to get this published for you. Thank you so much for the reviews, it means so much to me! Please keep them coming!**


	4. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

_I turn the music up, I got my records on_

_I shut the world outside until the lights come on_

_Maybe the streets alight, maybe the trees are gone_

_I feel my heart start beating to my favorite song_

_-Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, Coldplay_

* * *

The next morning dawned clear and beautiful.

The boys got back at us, I'm sad to say. Thalia and I were dead asleep, slightly jet lagged from the day before. The boys had been so used to flying around, they barely got jet lagged now.

The four of them burst into the room, banging pots and pans.

"WAKEY WAKEY!" Luke yelled, crossing the room to open the curtains and let the sunlight filter in.

Apollo got right up next to Thalia's ear and banged the pot, yelling, "GET OFF YOUR ASS!"

They clearly did not know Thalia; it would take a nuclear explosion, the threat of being late to something she wanted to go to, or her favorite food to wake Thalia up. More often than not, I had to waft the smell of a freshly toasted bagel under her nose to get her up for school when she slept over.

I grumbled and sat up, letting my blood flow kickstart so I could start to feel like a normal human being.

Nico pouted, putting the camera down when he realized that we weren't going to do anything interesting.

"That's just not fair."

"Such is life."

Thalia was sprawled out on her stomach, still dead asleep, her hair flying around her head and over the edge.

Apollo pouted, before he got a mischievous look in his eyes.

I had a feeling I knew what he was going to do, because he went to the foot of the bed and backed up a couple of steps.

"Oh god, Apollo, that's not a smart idea-"

Apollo ignored me, before running and jumping on top of her.

Thalia jerked away, turning so quickly she was a blur. She collided with Apollo chest to chest, flipping them over the edge of the bed so he hit first, her thighs on either side of his hips and her hand on his throat, the other in a fist which she used to sock him in the gut.

Apollo groaned, trying to curl over his stomach.

Thalia's eyes focused, and she punched him one more time, this time between his ribs before yelling, "Damnit Apollo, I'm really going to kill you one of these days, you're just lucky I wasn't at home or you would have been cut or stabbed!"

Apollo groaned, before letting his whole body go limp.

"How was I supposed to know you were so violent?"

Thalia rolled her eyes, not even embarrassed at the position she was in.

"I grew up in a horrible neighborhood, it wasn't uncommon that someone would break into my house. I learned self defense, and I guess you can say I'm kind of paranoid."

Her eyes suddenly became far away, and I knew she was thinking of Jason.

Jason was her little brother. She was ten years older than he was.

Thalia's mother was once a famous actress, but the fame and money got to her head and she became an alcoholic and a drug addict. Her father was a security guard for her mother, and he ended up dying in the same car accident that took her mother.

Jason and Thalia had been bounced around and around through foster care, and she had ended up in a bad neighborhood with him.

After a particularly bad attack on their house, one that left Jason with a broken arm and Thalia with fractured ribs, Thalia decided that the best thing she could do was let Jason be adopted without her.

Jason went to a fantastic home in northern Seattle, with a young couple who couldn't conceive. They allowed Thalia to have contact with her little brother, but now she has been drawing back; when I asked her why, she said, "I don't want the thoughts of his old life tainting his new ones. When he's older, when he can understand, his parents will give him a letter I wrote him. If he still wants to see me, then he can contact me."

Luke knew all about it; while Thalia did end up in a good foster home later in New York, she applied for emancipation and won it. She worked hard to get her way through life, and she is going to NYU as well. Legally, Thalia is my adopted sister, as Luke adopted her when he went away on his first tour, but she refuses to live in my apartment, instead living across the hallway from me.

He had told me, "I don't think I could have been as selfless as she was. I couldn't have let you go, you were all I had left."

Despite the hard exterior she put on, Thalia was sweet and selfless; she just never let anyone else know it.

Apollo let her just wander in her thoughts before he cleared his throat, obviously afraid of being hit again.

"Um, Thalia, as comfortable as this is…can I get up?"

Thalia's eyes flashed back to the present, and she gave him a smirk.

"Just don't do that again."

* * *

When we finally all got out of bed, Percy and I were shoved into the kitchen to cook.

Percy grumbled, finally just shouting, "I can't cook, why am I here!?"

Luke responded with a cheeky grin, "So we can say we weren't being sexist sticking a woman in the kitchen."

If it had been Apollo or Nico saying that, I would have thrown the spatula I was holding at them.

Percy rifled through the cabinets, pulling out the ingredients for pancakes. I shuffled through them before I noticed that there was blue food dye there as well.

He must have seen my look, because he blushed and said, "When I was little, my mom would always food-dye my food blue."

I laughed, but I internally wondered what it must have been like to grow up with a mom.

I humored him, letting him pour the food dye into his own pancakes (and one of mine, as he told me that it would make them taste better; I doubted it). Soon, we brought out the pile to the table, where the three others were already waiting with their utensils in each hand.

I dropped it down in the middle of the table and launched myself out of the way as others hands grabbed at them at a speed that would put a cheetah to shame.

Percy's eyes met mine over the mass of hungry animals and laughed with me.

For some reason, when his bright green eyes met mine, I went short of breath myself, and my heart started fluttering.

I averted my eyes, pretending to go back into the kitchen to get something to drink, but I could feel his eyes on my back, heavy and heated, the entire way there.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter, but hey, we're getting into the meat of the story! If you looked at my profile, I am TRYING to get into an updating schedule to make things up in a timely fashion, so Tuesdays are going to be reserved for With Arms Wide Open! Thank you so much for all the reviews, please keep them coming!**

**Updated A/N: This was supposed to be up yesterday, but my internet wasn't working for me! Sorry!**


	5. Sparks Fly

_Drop everything now_

_Meet me in the pouring rain_

_Kiss me on the sidewalk_

_Take away the pain_

_Cause I see sparks fly_

_Whenever you smile_

-_Sparks Fly, Taylor Swift_

* * *

The first week of our little vacation were spent on the beach.

Thalia and I had surfing competitions or we sat in the sun and read books or made sand castles like little kids. The boys would rough house, try to catch us and throw us in the ocean, or at night bust out their guitars around a campfire and sing at the top of their lungs.

I couldn't think of a time when I had been happier. I laughed so much during the day my cheeks would hurt, and at night, I was treated to my own little concert.

Thalia had hit it off with Apollo, even though there were some speed bumps along the way (like how he always scared her, even thought it earned him nothing but bruises) as well as Nico, who she had fun doting on like an older sister. I think Nico appreciated it; he hadn't had anyone to be his older sister figure after Bianca died.

I found myself spending a lot of time with Percy (and I suspected someone was trying to play match-maker), but we actually had some stuff in common, even though there were some things we were polar opposites on.

Percy loved the ocean, loved it ever since he was a child. One day we were walking on the beach when he filled me in on his history.

"My mom and my biological father met young, fell in love fast, and married three months after I was born. My mom lost her parents in a plane crash and my father lost his parents in a boating accident. They were happy for a long time. He loved the ocean, he was an oceanographer for National Geographic. Sometimes he would take me on his boats when I was still young enough to not know how to walk."

Percy always got a little sad when he thought of his father, I could tell just by looking at his eyes; most of his memories were fuzzy or based on photographs he had, he told me.

"When I was almost six, he was knocked off a boat and into the ocean. He was under too long, he had sustained too much brain damage from lack of oxygen to be my dad again. My mom took him off life support."

I reached out a hand to him, resting it on his shoulders and whispering, "I'm so sorry."

Percy smiled sadly at me, his bright green eyes churning. He reached his hand up and held mine, letting them fall to his side as we kept walking in the surf.

"I'm not. She loved him enough to let him go. He never would have wanted to be kept alive in a white room with machines breathing for him. He would have hated it. She married again, to this awful guy who used to hit her. Eventually, I had enough evidence and told the police. He was arrested, thank god. I worked odd jobs after school to help out with the rent. Right now she still lives in New York City, and she married an English teacher who supports her in every way. He's good for her. She still won't let me buy her an apartment or a house near the water. She told me that if her life is worth living, she needs to do it herself."

I realized he never let go of my hand, and even though I could feel myself blushing, I let myself hold onto his hand.

"She sounds like a wise woman. I would love to meet her."

Percy smiled, squeezing my hand a little. "I think you would get along well."

For the past two days, Percy and I have been dancing around each other, flirting and pulling back, talking and laughing like we had been close for years.

"YO!"

Percy and I turned in unison, seeing Nico in his rolled up black jeans and white t-shirt yelling from the patio.

"DINNER LOVEBIRDS!"

Percy raised one hand with one finger up, laughing all the same.

I laughed, regretfully pulling my hand from his and racing him back to the house.

* * *

One thing I loved most about our little vacation was the nightly movie tests.

Without fail, we will all converge in the little living room around the new HD TV with a DVD or a movie on Netflix. I was waiting for my day to chose and I would then force them all to start watching "Supernatural" or "Firefly" with me.

Tonight though was Thalia's night, and she popped in the first movie in the "Underworld" trilogy…actually, now it was a quad-rilogy.

Luke and Nico looked particularly happy with the movie choice, and I wanted to smack them both when I realized the reason why.

Percy had the decency to blush at the scenes that Luke and Nico were glued to, and Apollo, who was sitting next to Thalia, had eyes only for her.

Inwardly, I smirked. Someone had a little crush!

After the night of gunfire, laughter, and slaps - to the back of Apollo's head, to my brother's thigh, Percy's bicep, and Nico's chest - we all retired for the night.

Well, Nico, Apollo, Luke and Thalia left. Percy and I were ditched mysteriously to do clean-up.

The two of us had been abandoned together a lot over the past couple of days. I knew why they were doing it, I wasn't stupid - the others saw the chemistry we had together, the awkward blushes and the tingles that flew through me when we touched - but I wasn't naive enough to think that something was actually going to happen.

I mean, I kind of wished. He was kind of oblivious to everything that was happening around him, but that didn't mean anything…

I shook myself out of my mental tangents, balancing all the empty bowls and glasses like a pro. Percy shook his head, laughing a little at my balancing act when he had only two glasses, one in each hand.

"You have popcorn kernels in your hair."

I groaned, believing it. During one of the scenes where a vampire popped out of nowhere, Apollo had jerked, sending his popcorn kernels and some of his soda everywhere.

After we dumped our stuff in the sink, Percy reached out and plucked the kernels from my curls.

Suddenly, the air got loaded. Electrical currents raced up my arms and made my heart beat twice as fast, and my breath got stuck in my throat.

Percy's cheeks looked flushed, and his light green eyes were dilated and hooded.

We stood like that for more than three minutes, both of us breathing heavily, testing out the waters and trying to decide if it was worth leaning in a little more.

Finally, I had enough. I reached out, grabbed his shoulders, yanked him to me, and kissed him.

* * *

**A/N: Ahaha...sorry? I really am, I'm so sorry I haven't updated lately; in my defense, I just recovered from surgery and then I went right into working, and I was taking an online class and my entire life was just eaten up. I'm back now, even though I'm going to be leaving for vacation soon for a week. I know this chapter might seem a little rushed, but I think both Annabeth and Percy are just acting on their attraction with not that much thought to the future. I'm very excited for the next chapter! Again, sorry for the long wait, please excuse any errors, and drop a line please!**


	6. Kiss Me Slowly

_Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be_

_But with my eyes closed all I see_

_Is the skyline, through the window_

_The moon above you and the streets below_

_Hold my breath as you're moving in_

_Taste your lips and feel your skin_

_When the time comes, baby don't run_

_Just kiss me slowly_

_-Kiss Me Slowly, Parachute_

* * *

I don't know how long we kissed; a minute, ten? An hour, a night?

Percy had tensed a little when I pulled him into me, but he didn't pull away. He threaded his hands through my hair, cradling my head in his calloused fingers and tilted my head for a better angle.

My hands slid up from his shoulders and tangled in his hair, the silky smooth strands tickling the back of my knuckles. His lips were salty, tasting of the popcorn and soda we ate and a spicy, heady masculine taste that was all _Percy._

I felt my back hit the wall, and every part of me was pressed between it and Percy's chest. Every nerve he pressed against exploded with the force of a supernova, the sensation enough to make me lose my breath.

The kisses, which had started out heady and passionate, slowed down to just the tinniest brushed of our lips. When those kisses slowed, he rested his forehead on mine, letting his hands slide down my sides to rest on my hips. I kept my hands in his hair, using my fingernails to draw patterns on his scalp.

There was no words, just the panting of our breath and the sound of the whooshing waves outside, sounding so much like my blood in my veins.

Percy's fingers slowly moved in circles across my hips, but our eyes stayed closed and we didn't say anything for a little while longer.

"Where does this leave us?" I whispered, finally able to get my brain function back to normal.

Internally, I started panicking. I wasn't the kind of girl to just kiss a guy and have it mean nothing. I normally thought things out, and when I dated someone, it was in it for the long haul. Kissing Percy was kind of just acting on my impulse, and I hated him for the way he was able to undo me so easily.

"Why put a label on it? It makes it complicated. I like you, you like me…let's just go from there."

A part of me was uneasy with the loose title, but then another part of me just decided to say "screw it" and go with it. He was right; I did like him, and he did like me, and honestly, there really was no point in making it more complicated.

We would probably only have a couple months, until September when I went back to school and he would leave with Luke, Apollo and Nico and finish touring. There was no point in me trying to complicate things, I should just enjoy it.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze, the green of his eyes hazed over with lust and amusement and affection. I smirked, before pulling his head down to mine, whispering against his lips, "Perfect."

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Do you think they're alive?"

I groaned, shifting over to bury my face deeper into my mattress, using the pillow to cover my head. Someone next to me laughed, the movement bouncing the mattress.

As I slowly woke up, I realized that Percy and I were laying on the futon, which we had flattened after our little rendezvous in the kitchen to watch more movies together. His arm was heavy over the small of my back, his palm warm on the bare skin of my hip where my shirt had ridden up.

The blanket we had snatched from the linen closet was tangled around my legs; I fought out of it only to groan when I saw everyone standing around the futon, staring at us.

"Well, well, well…this is a…totally expected scene to be honest," Apollo laughed, his hands on his hips.

Percy laughed, hauling himself upright without any help from his arms.

"This conversation and teasing is too much right after waking up. I need coffee."

He rolled off the futon, landing softly on his feet and padded to the kitchen, so I grabbed his pillow and rolled back over, hoping they would leave me alone so I could go back to sleep. That plan was shot out the window when Luke and Thalia jumped onto the futon on either side of me, both of them smiling a smile that scared me a little.

"So, my darling little sister-" Luke started.

"Care to tell us the lewd details?" Thalia finished, throwing one of her arms around my shoulders, accidentally punching Luke in the jaw. Luke rolled his eyes and threw his arm over the top of Thalia's, his smirk still firmly in place.

"Sleep now. Details later. Thalia only."

"I'm hurt!"

"Shut up."

Suddenly, there was a screech and Thalia was pulled off the futon, and Percy dropped next to me, a cup of coffee cradled in his hands.

I reached out blindly and took a sip from it, wrinkling my nose a little when it was a little bit more bitter than I normally drank my coffee.

Luke sat up as well, leaving me sandwiched between them.

"Care to tell me what happened last night? Judging by the lack of clothes on the floor, the movie still in the DVD player and the fact that there are no used condoms in the trashcan - and yes, I checked - you either had sex without protection and then got dressed, in which case Percy is going to die a quick death, or you both fell asleep while watching another movie after we left."

I reached a hand up and punched Luke in the shoulder, groaning out, "Nothing happened you perv. And I would like to think I would have the common sense to use protection when and if I ever had sex with someone."

"Fair enough." Luke said, leaning back so his head rested on the arm of the futon.

Percy smirked into his coffee, and I decided that enough was enough.

"I'm going to take a shower," I announced, shooting a look to Percy just _daring_ him to add a saucy comment. He didn't say anything, just winked at me from over the rim of his mug.

Thalia, who was still sitting on the floor where she was dropped, pouting like a little kid, bounded up the few stairs with me, a smirk on her face making me think that the interrogation was far from over.

Ehh, it was better than talking about my now slightly-more-active-sex life with my brother.

* * *

Showered, dressed, my hair in a slightly less messy bun then before, I felt like a whole new person. I bounded into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee and added all the sugar and milk to it that I liked. Luke made a face at it, because he always drank his coffee black, the weirdo.

"What is on the agenda for today? As much as I love all of you, I do want to go back into civilization," I said, reaching for the newspaper as I moved to sit down in a chair.

Percy reached out and snagged me around the waist, gently pulling me down so I was sitting on his lap. I smiled over my shoulder at him and snuggled into him, scanning the newspaper as I sipped my coffee.

Nico walked over before dropping a pan of slightly misshapen muffins, plucking one up for himself.

"I kind of want to go do some sightseeing. Like the San Juan Capistrano Mission or Olvera Street," I threw out, but I could tell my idea was going to be shot down because it was the slightest bit "educational."

"DISNEY!" Thalia screamed, throwing her arms up in the air, some crumbs from her muffin flying over the kitchen.

"NO!" Everyone yelled back, making her pout and flip us the bird.

"Why don't we just go to the mall or something? I need to find some more bathing suits." I said, but the smirk on Thalia's face made me think she knew about my hope about a secret trip to Victoria's Secret.

"OK, that sounds fine with me. My sandals broke, so I need some new ones too," Apollo said from where he was straddling his chair.

"I'm game, a new NaughtyDog video game came out and I've been dying to get it," Nico chimed in.

"Oh, _The Last of Us?_ I challenge you! I've been excited for that game for a while!" Thalia chimed in, a little bit happier now.

"It's settled!" I said, slamming my hands against the table and standing up, grabbing my bag from where it was hanging near the door. "To the mall we go!"

* * *

**A/N: I'm managing to keep my updating schedule! This is a big deal for me! OK, I know that these chapters seem to be all fluff and no real content, but that's what I'm aiming for. I'm trying to make it happy and light before we get hit with real life. Thank you so much for the reviews, please keep them coming, it means so much to me!**


	7. Chasing Satellites

_They'd tell us we were too young every single say_

_We'd stand beside the ocean just to drift away_

_You're eyes were out of focus, they carried me away_

_Oh no, oh no_

_We're chasing satellites_

_Watch us burn the city tonight_

_We throw our hearts to the sky_

_Watch us burn, watch us burn from chasing satellites_

_-Chasing Satellites, Thomas Fiss_

* * *

I sighed, happily flopping down onto my bed. A strong arm came out of the blue and curved around me, pulling me into an embrace.

The past weeks had flown by with me being happier than I had ever imagined I would be.

Percy and my romance wasn't the only romance that sprang up. Everyone - including Luke, Nico, Percy and I - walked in on Apollo making out with Thalia, his hand up her shirt and his on the ground. Luke had screamed like a little girl and ran out of the room while Percy, Nico and I laughed hysterically.

Nico and Luke were now sharing a room, and it was a fight at night to see who would get the master bedroom or the other guest room - Percy and I or Apollo and Thalia. It was a game done more in fun and teasing than anything else, although I do love the mornings when Percy and I just wake up to the sun warming our bed.

We haven't _done_ anything…well, not all the way yet.

When I say I had really let go…I had _really let go._

I used to be so diligent in everything. I had always handed in my work on time, if not early, and done extra-credit even if I didn't need to. I knew what I wanted to do in college and worked through every credit to get to my goal. I read books that I loved and the ones I didn't love I read anyway, just to glean knowledge from them. I rarely let go, never drank unless it was a toast at a wedding, rarely skipped meals or stayed up late just for the hell of it. Thalia used to tease me that I was a forty year old woman in a teenagers body.

I had also been very in control of my love life, which wasn't as active as others but it wasn't dead. I had had boyfriends and dates, but I saw no point in putting in time and effort for someone if they were just going to leave in the end. My longest relationship had lasted nine months, something that was almost unheard of in our high school. But then Ethan had to move to California and we had both known that long distance relationships didn't work.

But with Percy, I found myself not caring that we might only have a short while. If anything, it made me want to be with him more and more, because I knew I wouldn't be this happy ever again.

Anyone would think that Percy and I were not matched up well for each other; we had very different personalities, almost like oil and water, but I think that's what made us click.

He could get me to laugh with his ridiculous sense of humor and could also get me to relax when I was annoyed or stressed. I could get him to focus on something and could tell him to be serious with one look. He loved cuddling, not that he would admit it, and I loved falling asleep with his arm over me.

He could set fire to my veins when we kissed. We hadn't really progressed to the home run stage, but we were slowly hitting second and rounding to third.

Thalia had a lot of fun making jokes about the hickies I had on my neck the next morning.

Tonight though, Percy and I had managed to steal back the master bedroom from Thalia and Apollo, who had been monopolizing it for the better part of the week. Their bed was a mess of pillows and blankets, but ours was warmed from the sun just outside the bay windows.

"Do we have to get up?" He mumbled against the skin of my shoulder, his nose pushing the strap of my tank top off my shoulder.

I giggled a little, letting him pull me tighter against him so his bare chest was completely flush with my back.

"No, I just wanted something to drink. Thalia and Apollo are locked in their room right now, and Luke and Nico went into civilization to get food or something like that, which means it's going to be all candy so Thalia and I will need to go shopping sometime soon to get actual food."

"Sounds accurate," he mumbled into my now bare shoulder.

We stayed cuddled up in our own little cocoon for a long time, sometimes dozing, sometimes talking about everything and anything.

"The day after tomorrow is the Fourth of July, what are we doing?"

Percy looked down at me with a furrowed brow.

"Luke didn't tell you? We're going to be flying out tomorrow morning for DC to perform after the President's address at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier."

I hissed under my breath, annoyed at my brother but not annoyed enough to actually get out bed and yell at him when he came back.

"So Thalia and I are coming too? What are we going to do about the paparazzi?"

Percy shrugged, totally unconcerned. I was a little annoyed at his blasé attitude, but I had to remind myself that this was just another job he did, something he was used to.

"Are we going to be back in time for Grover?"

Percy stiffened a little, and I knew he was hurting. I turned over in his arms so I was pressed front to front with him and buried my face into his neck, trying to provide him with some comfort.

July 13th was the anniversary of the death of our friend Grover. Every year the boys re-recorded the song that they wrote for him and posted it on their YouTube channel. I missed him a lot. During the tough years between our parent's death and the rise to stardom of the boys, he had been there a lot to help me with my homework and babysit. If it wasn't for Grover, I doubted Percy and Nico would have met Apollo and Luke and they wouldn't have been a band. If he hadn't died, their song they wrote for him wouldn't have gotten famous and neither would've they.

In a way, they owed a lot to Grover.

I just wished he was here now.

"Yeah, I think we are. Nico talked about filming it at sunset, but I thought it would be nice to drive up to the redwood forest and film it there, because you know how he was about the wild."

I laughed at that, remembering how Grover was more at home in the forest than anywhere else. If it hadn't been for his legs, his dream was to be a forest ranger at Yellowstone or in Maine.

"But yeah…we'll decide later where we film it. Want to help me decide which song to sing? Apollo and Luke are each picking one, and so will I. We're performing outside the White House. The daughter's had put in a special request for 'If I Lose Myself,' and I know Apollo wants to perform 'Gone, Gone, Gone' now that he has Thalia."

There was an eye roll thrown in there after that so I smacked his shoulder lightly.

"Chill, I think it's sweet. Did Luke decide which one?"

"No, last time I asked he was debating between our cover of 'Iris' or 'Be There.'"

I thought through their songs, the ones on their EP's and their real album before asking, "How about 'Diamonds' from your EP?"

Percy thought about it, before smiling brilliantly and leaning down to peck my lips.

"Perfect. We can figure out order or shit like that later, Nico's been pestering us about it."

"Are Travis and Connor going to meet you there?"

Even though Percy, Apollo and Luke switched who played what depending on the song, Connor and Travis were the ones who always played drums and guitar as back-ups. They were the band. I felt bad that they didn't get as much fame and credit as the other three boys, but they never seemed to mind.

"No, Travis is on paternity leave now."

"Katie had the baby?"

"No, she's ready to pop though. On more than one occasion Connor has called me and asked me to smack him upside the head if Miranda somehow talks him into having kids."

I laugh at Connor's dry humor. I had only really talked to him a handful of times, same with his brother, but they were nice boys.

"What about you?"

He raised his eyebrow in question; I hated when he did that, I was always jealous of those who were able to.

"Do you ever want kids?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Percy shrugs before saying, "I don't know. I love little kids, but I don't know if I want kids. Why, should I be concerned my girlfriend is asking me about kids so early?"

"So I've been upgraded to girlfriend status?"

"I was going to ask but I don't do mushy displays of affection, you know this."

"Says the one who cuddles me every night."

"Hey!"

I laugh, but internally my stomach is churning with butterflies. Are we making this relationship official with a title, or was he just joking?

"The poor fangirls, what are they doing to do when they find out that one of their precious band members has a girlfriend?"

Percy laughed too, but I could feel his pulse fluttering against my forehead where it was pressed to his neck. Try as he might to be nonchalant about this I knew it affected him too.

"They're just going to have to suck it up."

* * *

**A/N: Here is another chapter! I have so much fun writing the fluff, I almost feet bad because it's not all going to be fluffy later :( I can't remember if it's Veterans Day or Memorial Day when the president goes to make a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider but I'm claiming it's July 4th.**

**Here is some more information for you: **

**Connor and Travis are the back-up band people. They fill in spots for songs when the other three switch around. Nico isn't really a singer in the band, he just helps organize and do things that need to be done. **

**Connor is dating a girl named Miranda. She was in the books, I just can't remember her too well right now and I'm too damn lazy to check. Travis is married to Katie Gardner and they are expecting a baby! **

**Song Information: I am claiming creative license and having it so that Chasing Waves (their band) has WRITTEN the songs I say, unless they claim a cover - like the cover of 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls that Percy mentioned. Here are the REAL LIFE artists of the songs, and I do recommend you go listen to them:**

**"If I Lose Myself" - OneRepublic**

**"Gone, Gone, Gone" - Phillip Phillips**

**"Be There" - Howie Day**

**"Diamonds" - Dave Baxter**

**OK, really looongggg author's note, but thank you so much for the reviews! I checked the stats (and .god, I love you all) and I have 60 favorites and 131 follows. Do you think we can get to at least 70, maybe 75, reviews before my next update next Tuesday? It would mean so much to me! Love you all, please keep reading and reviewing!**


	8. If I Lose Myself

_You can feel the light start to tremble_

_Washing what you know out to sea_

_You can see your life out of the window tonight_

_If I lose myself tonight_

_It'll be by your side_

_If I love myself tonight_

_Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_-If I Lose Myself, OneRepublic_

* * *

"Oww…what was that for?" Luke whined, rubbing the back of his head where I smacked him three seconds ago.

"For not telling me that tomorrow morning you're flying out to D.C. to perform for the Fourth of July."

Luke blushed. "I'm sorry! But you and Thalia are coming with us, right? We can hang around, visit the Smithsonian and all that fun stuff, and then fly back out here before the thirteen for Grover's memorial."

"You had me at the Smithsonian."

"I knew I would, you nerd."

"Shut it jerk."

"Love you too bitch."

Percy, whose lap I was sitting on, laughed so hard I thought he was going to choke on his own tongue.

Thalia strode into the room with three bags on each arm, each one bulging from the food she carried in. Apollo came in behind her, his arms each laden down with six.

At my raised eyebrows, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Second trips are for pussies!"

"Yeah, and so is a broken wrist," Nico cracked, helping her through the door and then put away the things.

"This wouldn't have happened if you and Luke knew how to shop."

"We got perfectly edible food!" Luke protested, insulted.

I scoffed before attempting to get up to help them stow the food. Percy just tightened his grip on my waist and moaned, "Nooo," so I gave up and just cuddled into his chest.

"You and Nico bought ten boxes of hot pockets and a huge bag of candy and three two-liter bottles of soda. If we want to live and not die of a heart attack, we need a wider selection of food."

"There were Ramen noodles in there too!"

Thalia laughed, "I'm going to be living off that in college, I would prefer to save my stomach now."

When all the food was packed away, Apollo copied the position Percy and I were in. Luke pouted at the lack of attention he was getting; he turned to Nico and quipped, "We need girlfriends."

Percy chimed in, "If Nico would grow a pair, he would have a girlfriend."

Nico groaned, "Shut up!"

This was the first I had heard of it. I turned to Percy and raised my eyebrows in silent question. Percy laughed and nodded back to Nico.

"Our stylist, Rachel, has made it clear she's interested, but Nico is too neurotic to even intense a little around her because he's always running around trying to make sure everything is perfect before the show."

I cast my mind back quickly through the rare times I met the people Luke worked with. There was Michael Yew, their soundcheck person, Connor and Travis, the back-up part of the band, Nico, of course, who did a little bit of everything, and Tyson, the large and child-like security guard. I finally placed Rachel, the daughter of the CEO of Dare Industries. Her father hadn't been too happy when Rachel had decided to go to art school instead of taking over the company, but he had loosened up when she at least got a job with the hottest band around.

"I think I remember Rachel…the redhead, always wearing those jeans that she can paint on, and always carrying around a sketchbook?"

Luke nodded, shoving his elbow into Nico's side. He squirmed away, uncomfortable with the attention.

"Why don't you ask her out?"

Nico changed the conversation quickly, his blush spreading from the tips of his ears all the way down to his collarbone.

"Did you guys decide what the set list is gonna be?"

Apollo smirked but decided to take pity on Nico cause he answered, "Well, the President's daughter asked for "If I Lose Myself," and I chose "Gone, Gone, Gone," and here was the point where he nuzzled his face into Thalia's neck and Luke groaned out, "Why do I have to watch my bandmates necking with my sisters?"

I laughed at my older brother and his overprotectiveness of Thalia (who was legally my sister, as Luke had become her legal guardian) and I.

Nico whipped out his trust iPhone, typing into it quickly. The look he cast around made Luke say, "I decided to go with our cover of 'Iris.' So, Annabeth, Thalia, as it calls for more people on instruments, will you mind filling in on guitar and piano?"

I jerked, obviously not expecting that. Luke must have seen the apprehensive look on my face, because he said, "We can arrange it so you're not facing the audience, but I don't want to have to pull Connor his little vacation, or Travis out of his paternity leave, more so now because Katie's entering her last month."

We (reluctantly) agreed and Percy chimed in, "I decided on 'Diamonds' from our EP. It should cover our sounds from all bases, so there's that."

Nico finished typing into his iPhone before it chimed. He opened the message before calling out, "Pack up. We're leaving at five in the morning in order to be there before noon, so you can crash a little before we have dinner with management and then you can sleep some more before soundcheck with Michael at around eight in the morning on the fourth. Performance is after the address at around two, our slot ending at about two thirty before Calypso will perform."

My head shot up at the mention of the other singer who would be performing.

"Calypso?"

The name sounded familiar, and I realized that where I had heard it from was Luke, when Percy dated her for about six months. Apparently, it became clear she was using them for a fame boost, always asking to do a collaboration, and Percy had gotten sick of it. She had become famous in her own right, but she had a habit of writing slandering songs about her ex's, and Percy got a lovely one called 'Should've Needed Me Too.'

Percy stiffened behind me, his arms around my waist getting tighter. He leaned into me to whisper into my ear, "You better protect me from that she-demon."

I laughed, relaxing a little over the fact that he didn't look torn up about seeing his ex, just a little scared of what she would do.

I mentally scolded myself, and tried to engrave into my head not to become one of those jealous, clingy girlfriends.

Oh, if only I knew how the next day would be going, then I might be kicking myself over those thoughts.

* * *

The plane ride to D.C. didn't take too long, maybe an hour less than the time it took to get from New York to California. We were lucky, and we got to use an airstrip very close to our hotel. Tyson, their security guard, drove us and protected the entrance to the whole floor - yes, the whole floor - we were occupying. I felt a little bad, knowing that two of the rooms were definitely not going to be used by Thalia or me.

We crashed as soon as we got in (well, Thalia order room service and _then_ crashed) and then the entire group of us converged in the largest room - which was Percy's, something the other boys grumbled about - and order pizza and watched movies like we did every other night.

I slept more comfortably then I ever had before curled up next to Percy, tucked into his side like a spoon. He slipped out of bed early in the morning after pressing a kiss to my cheek. I had curled up in the warm spot he had left behind and been lulled back to sleep by the smell of the ocean and sunshine, a scent that was uniquely him.

Thalia came and woke me up - and the irony of her being up before me was enough to make me laugh - about an hour before they were going to perform.

Walking through with security was like walking through the gauntlet. So many fans were already in place and waiting, screaming and some of them even crying.

When they started grabbing at Thalia and I, the body guards tightened around us.

"What the freaking hell, I'm not even the famous one, or the famous one's sister!"

"Technically you are."

"Shut up, you know what I mean!"

We were hustled backstage, to the makeshift green room. Rachel, their stylist, was flitting around and throwing clothes into different rooms, ignoring their protests if she caught them in the middle of changing. Nico was tensed, standing near the doorway and tapping away like a mad-man on his phone.

Rachel looked up when we were let in and reached out to shake our hands quickly, shoving us to an empty room and pointing to the rack.

"I know you're only going to be onstage for one song, but I put out clothes for you so you can kind of match the other guys. You're not going to be facing the crowd so you don't need to worry about makeup like those fools if you don't want to."

I found myself liking her brusque, no-nonsense nature. She would definitely need it if she was going to work with those jokers.

She turned and let out a loud grown, slapping her head with her hand.

"Luke, for the love of god! What the hell are you doing!?"

I peered over Rachel's shoulder and around her mass of red curls and laughed.

Luke was dressed in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a red and white plaid button up shirt. The only problem was that he had buttoned the shirt the wrong way and tucked it in without a belt, so he looked like a mess.

She flitted over to him and proceeded to smack his hands away before she fixed his shirt, found a belt, tucked in only the front of his shirt, and adjusted the collar so he didn't look like a white guy trying too hard to be a gangster.

Percy came out of the room, dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a white shirt, the pattern of the American flag across the front. Rachel turned to him and let out a loud exclamation of, "Praise Jesus, as least one of you can dress yourselves correctly. Apollo, get your ass out here. Lemme make sure you didn't screw up my hard work."

Apollo stomped out of the room, drying furiously to fix his vest and shirt so they laid flat. Rachel groaned, but reached over with quick, nimble fingers and untwisted some of the straps. She took a step back and then leaned forward to unbutton his shirt a little and then roll up the sleeves. Thalia didn't tense at her familiar touching of her boyfriend, so I assumed that she was as happy with Rachel as I was.

She didn't ogle over the boys, just helped them with quick efficiency and poise. She did know style though, as they looked like a band without looking like triplets, and each of their outfits fit their body types and still looked patriotic.

Before we could be yelled at, Thalia and I quickly changed into our jean shorts and layered tank tops. Thalia was wearing a lot of silver jewelry that made everything look good, and my chorded necklace was left on as well.

Rachel opened the door a small fraction threw a pair of shoes at both of us, and I gave her a grateful smile (even though she couldn't see it) when I saw they were a pair of American Flag print Toms and not heels of any kind.

Everything fit perfectly so I assumed that someone had gotten a hold of our sizes, something I wasn't sure how I felt about.

Rachel knocked on the door quickly and when we didn't protest, she stuck her head in.

"The guys are heading to Silena, the new make-up artist. I can help you guys more than I can help them, I'm good with painting, but those guys are next to impossible to make sit still."

In less than twenty minutes, we were made up and prepping backstage - honestly, it surprised me how many people needed to be around to make sure their performance went smoothly. I had to admit, it made me respect Nico a lot more now that I knew what he had to coordinate all the time.

Watching the boys perform over the television was one thing; watching them perform from the sideline was something else entirely.

They gave themselves over to their music, the energy thrumming around from the audience propelling them to give their all.

They opened up with a short dedication to those who had died in the line of duty to keep our country free, and then thanked soldiers in all branches of the military. Then the president's daughters got their wish of the song, "If I Lose Myself."

Thalia and I quickly got pulled on stage for "Iris," and we managed to get off stage without an incident. Although, Apollo ran off stage with us and kissed Thalia deeply, whispering something into her ear before bounding back out onto the stage to take guitar for "Gone, Gone, Gone."

The blush on Thalia's face told me all I needed to know about what he whispered to her.

Percy looked over at me from the other side of the stage, our eyes locking and I felt a flush creep up my face when he mouthed the words, "This one's for you."

They launched into "Diamonds," which was one of my favorite songs from them. It was sweet and soft and romantic, a little longing too. I knew Luke and Percy had wrote it when Percy had broken up with Calypso. Percy had said she was like a diamond, all perfection and clear edges but rock hard and not at all soft.

Even though I didn't like thinking about Percy and Calypso - damn, there I went again, being the jealous girlfriend (and I still shivered inside when I thought back to the fact that I had been elevated to girlfriend status) - but I did let myself get lost in the song and the sound of Percy's voice.

The depth of my feelings for him scared me. We had known each other for years, but we hadn't been close, and now we were together for more than a month. I knew I had limited time with him, but no matter how much I told myself I needed to slow down, I couldn't.

I was head over heels for him.

And when the concert was over, the first thing he did was hand off his guitar and pull me close for a deep kiss.

Maybe he was head over heels for me too.

* * *

**A/N: Ending was cheesy, but I couldn't help myself :) Thank you so much for all the reviews, guys, it means so much to me!**

** I want to take this moment to put the ages out, so you don't get confused: **

**Annabeth is 17, so is Thalia. **

**Percy and Nico are the same age, 19, turning 20 very soon (like in a month soon). I decided to make them older than the other girls to fit in with the AU of them being rockstars. **

**Apollo and Luke, because they were in the same grade together, are six years older than Annabeth, so they are 23. **

**Grover would have been the same age as Percy and Nico, fitting in with the fact that three years ago he was 17 when he died, but that's going to be explored more in the next chapter. **

**I picture Travis and Connor and Katie being the same age as Apollo and Luke, and Rachel is in the middle of all of them, about 22 years old, as she finished college early.**

**I cannot thank you enough for the support you guys are giving me. We're already at 73 reviews, can you believe it!? Do you think (and I'm crossing my fingers and praying here) that we can get to 100 reviews before next chapter? It's going to be an emotional chapter, I promise you, but it does lead to some good Percabeth bonding and kissing :) Please please please? **

**Thank you so much!**


	9. Why

"A lot of you cared, just not enough."

-Jay Asher, _Thirteen Reasons Why_

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **This isn't a chapter meant to glorify suicide. People who commit suicide aren't weak or selfish, they're just in pain and see no way out. I promise you, anyone who is struggling, you are not alone. Reach out to someone, anyone. Anyone who will help. Keep reaching out until you find someone who will help you, and I promise you, you will make. We're all behind you, and we will support you until you can support yourself. _**You are not alone**._

* * *

Being in D.C. had been fun. There had been a couple of tense moments when we had run into paparazzi and had to make a mad dash for it, but the boys were so adept at it that it only happened a couple of times.

Percy and I had slipped into the Smithsonian and had wandered around for a long time. I had bought some space food and made him eat it, and the look on his face was captured on camera. It was hysterical, and he hadn't been too amused by laughing, or by the fact that I refused to kiss him until he washed his mouth out.

We eventually left D.C. We had all decided to film Grover's memorial video on the beach outside of Beast. The boys had gotten steadily quieter as we got closer and closer to California, and Thalia and I spent the majority of the time trying to comfort them.

All too soon, July 13 was here. It officially has now been three years since our best friend, Grover, had died.

Grover and Luke had always been really close; that's how Percy and Luke became great friends, through Grover.

Grover had club foot as a baby, and even though it was corrected, he would always walk with a limp. He used crutches, but always managed to keep up with the rest of us, even playing baseball.

High school was tough for him. He didn't always have the gang to back him up, and even though Thalia and I tried to defend him, it didn't help. Kids were cruel, he was picked on, and his anxiety that developed made him stutter. I was always furious and tried to defend him, but what could a little girl do against high school boys?

Grover became depressed; he self-harmed, tried to cope, but nothing worked. He didn't reach out to anyone though, convinced that he was a burden to everyone around him. My biggest regret was that I didn't tell him how much of a friend he had been to me, even though I was his best friend's little sister.

One day, no one was there to save him. He had planned it that way.

He hung himself from his bedroom fan. Percy found him hours later.

Trying to find an outlet for the grief, Percy, Apollo and Luke wrote a song for his funeral, which they entitled, "Why."

Every year on his death, they perform it on a YouTube video, which they will send out with a message at the end to stop bullying, and anyone who has depression or suicidal tendencies, to get help. This was going to be the first time I or Thalia were going to be in a video.

The first year, the three of them had rocketed to fame, so they performed the song during one of their tours. They posted one other video last year, the three of them with their guitars around Grover's grave, decorated in things they had brought for him on their tour.

This year, we were going to light a candle for Grover and sit on the beach with the sunset.

Grover had always loved nature; if it wasn't for his feet, he would have loved to have been a park ranger.

I suddenly thought of Juniper, the girl who had had a crush on Grover. I sighed, thinking of her broken-hearted face when she realized she had lost her chance to say anything.

It was solemn the entire day. The day passed with little to no talking, just everyone shuffling around, still sore and raw with the grief that never really went away. When the sun started to go down, the boys had their guitars, and I had mine as well. Thalia had already set up a portable electric piano on the sand, three extension chords needed to keep it plugged in.

We made sure the video camera was on, and Percy opened up the song.

The grief was still in his eyes; you could see it plainly in the pale green. Out of all of us, Percy was probably the one who was closest to Grover.

_You must have been in a place so dark_

_You couldn't feel the light_

_Reaching for you through that stormy cloud_

_Now here we are gathered_

_In our little home town_

_This can't be the way you meant to draw a crowd_

Luke and Apollo started strumming, fingers practiced and sure as they found the right notes and then started singing in unison.

_Oh, why_

_That's what I keep asking_

_Was there anything_

_I could have said or done?_

_Oh, I_

_Had no clue you were masking_

_A troubled soul_

_God only knows _

_What went wrong_

_And why_

_You'd leave the stage in the middle of a song_

This was the point where I started strumming my guitar, singing the second verse and trying hard not to let my emotions get the better of me.

_Now in my mind I'll keep you frozen as a 17 year old_

_Rounding third to score the winning run_

_You always played with passion_

_No matter what the game_

_When you took the stage you shined just like the sun_

I bit my lip as I continued strumming, letting the boys croon out their song to their friend. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I remembered Grover trying to teach me how to play a flute, trying to teach me the right way to hold a bat or the way he would get so animated talking about nature preservation movements. I tried to remember him as happy as he had been when we played ball together, when we sat around and laughed, during the moments when everything seemed perfect.

Thalia peered over at me, her own eyes wet as well as all of us, even Nico, who was convinced he could shatter glass with his voice, sang the last chorus before the bridge.

_Oh, why_

_That's what I keep asking_

_Was there anything_

_I could have said or done?_

_Oh, I_

_Had no clue you were masking_

_A troubled soul_

_Oh, God only knows _

_What went wrong_

_And why_

_You'd leave the stage in the middle of a song_

Luke reached out to me, letting his guitar fall to the wayside. We all knew the music by heart, and even though we all stopped playing our instruments to connect hands and hold on tight, the sound still roared behind us, the steady pounding of the waves and the soft thrum of grief.

_Now the oak trees are swaying _

_In the early autumn breeze_

_A golden sun is shining on my face_

_Through tangled thoughts I hear_

_A mockingbird sing_

_This whole world really ain't that bad a place_

Percy took the bridge, his voice belaying how hard it had been for him to lose his friend, how hard it had been for all of us to let go of a friend who had died way too soon.

_Oh, why_

_There's no comprehending_

_And who am I _

_To try to judge or explain_

_Oh, but I_

_Do have one burning question_

_Who told you life  
_

_Wasn't worth the fight?_

_They were wrong_

_They lied_

_Now you're gone_

_And we cry_

_Cause it's not like you _

_To walk away _

_In the middle of a song_

My eyes flashed down to the scar across my right forearm from when I had attacked one of Grover's main bullies, Octavian, shoving him and screaming at him about how he had killed my best friend. I had only been fourteen when he died, but I knew enough about everything to shout in Octavian's face, "**You** killed him and his blood is on **your** hands and I hope you _**fucking drown in it**!"_

I had given him thirteen stitches down the side of his face to his neck from my nails, and I had even broken one of his ribs from when I had lost it and tackled him to the ground punching him with everything I had. I was lucky Luke was there to haul me off of him and get me away before I could get in trouble too.

Octavian ended up being expelled and charged with manslaughter charges. I don't know what happened to him, and I didn't care. I knew forgiving him would take time, but I had a feeling I would never forgive him. _  
_

_Your beautiful song  
_

_Your absolutely _

_Beautiful song _

Our voices echoed over the beach. I turned to the camera and said in a soft voice, "I miss you Grover."

Percy reached out to me and I slipped my hands into his. His voice was tight when he said, "You didn't deserve this Grover. We miss you."

Everyone whispered a couple of words, and then the video camera was turned off. We sat there in silence, all of wondering. Wondering what we could have done to help him, wondering what would have happened if we had been with him, had gotten him help. Wondering, wondering, wondering.

With my eyes closed, I could almost pretend the whistling in the air was from his old-fashioned reed pipes, and he was actually here with us, his curl hair an afro around his face, his face set in that endearing smile that had made me trust him right off the bat.

_I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. _

* * *

The week of Grover's death was hard, but we survived. For a long time, whenever we would laugh or let loose, we would feel like we were betraying his memory. It was stupid, because Grover loved to have fun, but the guilt still lingered.

Eventually we managed to get back into our routine of laughing and hanging out on the beach, playing cards and watching movies and TV shows.

But the one day that changed everything for us was the day Percy and I were left alone in the cabin for the entire day.

Luke hadn't been too happy about that, but he had a couple of words with Percy and then he hugged me tightly before letting Nico pull him out of the cabin. Thalia had wiggled her eyebrows and me and squeezed my hand before turning to drag Apollo out the door.

For a grand total of three minutes Percy and I stood in the foyer - now with a healthy layer of sand to keep us from slipping - and laughed so hysterically we were on the ground, reduced to silent laughing and tears that streamed down our faces.

I guess it was a testament to how close we were, how in tune we were that this awkwardness didn't jar us.

"I never thought I'd see the day when my brother willingly left me home alone with a boyfriend."

"He left you home alone with another one of your boyfriends?"

Percy and I had already had the awkward ex talk - and oh my god, I never thought I would be possessive, but the look on his face told me that I wasn't alone in that respect - but right now we were just…talking. There was no awkwardness to it, other than the sand digging into the bare skin of my legs.

"Yeah, he left me alone once with Ethan, before Ethan moved. But I guess he threatened him, because he refused to touch me other than hold my hand the entire time we were alone. I was a little annoyed then, but I know Luke does it to protect me."

His hand rose up and touched the side of my head where the little swath of gray hair was, his eyes serious but still caring.

"I know. He told me a lot about what you guys went through before we became a band. Sometimes he thinks of you more as a daughter than a sister."

"I know that. I think of him as my best friend, my brother and protector, sometimes my father. But whenever he tries to boss me around, I would always fight him."

Percy laughed before hauling himself off the floor, pulling me up with him. His arm found a spot over my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. My hand reached up to entangle with his.

"I can just picture it. You as an adorable little girl, with big eyes and a pout telling him you weren't going to take a nap and poor Luke not able to do a damn thing about it."

I laughed along with him, because it was a pretty accurate description. I must have been a little hellion to try to look after, but Luke never backed down from the job or complained. Now that we were older, I was able to appreciate all the sacrifices he made for me. I doubted any other brothers and sisters were as close as we were.

The subtext of what was probably going to happen today was not lost on us, and I could see the darkened gaze of desire in his eyes and I knew they were mirrored in mine.

To be honest, if it was some other guy, I might have just distracted them, pointed to a movie and cuddled, but not let it escalate. I never knew why I pushed them away, just that it felt right and I always went with my gut instincts. I was a virgin, something I was proud of, not ashamed of. I was waiting for someone who would make my first time special, but I was under no such delusions that I would wait until I was married.

Plus, just because I was a virgin didn't mean I was inexperienced. Cosmopolitan had helped a lot in that regard.

Shaking myself out of my mental tangents, I leaned against the wall and sipped a glass of water. Percy was leaning against me, his eyes heavy and hooded.

Finally, the tension and the charge in the air made us both mutter, "Screw it," and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine.

It was like taking a match to a bottle of gasoline. Instant combustion.

I was pinned against the wall in less than a second, my legs around his waist and his arms holding me up. I was a couple of inches taller than him, so I leaned down and pressed my lips eagerly against his.

**(A/N: It's going to get a little lime-ish from here on out, so feel free to skip down to the bottom if it makes you uncomfortable. Sorry, not a full on lemon…at least not yet *evil face*)**

He pulled back a little and just _looked _at me, and that look alone made me pant, because it felt like he was undressing me with just his eyes. His lips kissed a line of fire down my neck, before nipping softly at my collarbone. The gasping noise I made just seemed to spur him on, and I knew I was going to have a hell of a hickey there in a couple of hours.

The kisses slowed down in intensity a little, but there was still the underlaying current of tension in the air. I slid down the wall, and his hands went from my waist to cup my face; I felt so safe and treasured that my chest literally ached with the feeling.

Somehow we ended up in the master bedroom - with the door shut and locked - and we collapsed on the bed. Percy braced himself over me, his biceps and shoulders tensing to support his weight so he didn't crush me.

He leaned down and we met in the middle, but this time, this kiss was all about sugar and spice and everything nice. We lazily kissed each other, and his hands slipped under my shirt, the slight raise of his eyebrows the non-verbal way he was asking for permission.

I sent a silent prayer of thanks for the face that I was wearing one of my less-conservative bras.

He slipped my shirt off my head and threw it to the ground, and I basked in the fact that his eyes darkened even more, his pupils so dilated I only saw a little bit of his beautiful green eyes.

"You're overdressed," I teased, my hands already at the hem of his shirt.

"I'll get right on that," he teased right back, and he let me pull the shirt off of him and it joined the party my clothes were having on the floor.

I took a moment to appreciate his muscle tone. He wasn't overly buff, but he was defined and built in a subtle, elegant way. My fingers traced down his chest, and I smiled when I felt him shiver against me.

The feel of him pressed against me, bare skin on bare skin, made me arch a little. His lips left mine and trailed down my neck and down my collar bones, to the hollow between my breasts. My breath left me in a whoosh and I put up no fight when he unhooked my bra.

Percy made no secret that he was more experienced than me in this department, and although I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous, I was extremely happy that at least he knew what he was doing.

His hands kneaded me, and the burning in my lower abdomen expanded, making me clutch him tighter.

I could feel his smirk against my skin, but I was too far gone to have pride at this point.

He kissed his way up - he liked to kiss, _a lot_, and I wasn't complaining - and took one of my breasts in his mouth. I swear, I exploded right there. His hands knew exactly where to hit to make me arch and writhe, and I willingly gave over control.

After some intense minutes of him working his magic with his tongue, fingers, and basically just his presence, he pulled back and panted, "As much as I would love to continue this, I don't want this to happen like this."

I leaned back against the pillows, smirking up at his messy hair and swollen lips, before pulling him down so he was pressed against me.

Surprisingly, I had no shame in the fact that the two of us were bare from the waist up, and there was very clearly the sign of his enthusiasm against my leg, but I wanted to feel every part of him against me.

"Should I be worried?" I asked lightly, but still tensing a little on the inside.

Immediately, Percy was up and hovering over me, his elbows supporting his weight and his hands cupped around my jaw.

"Not at all. But I know it's your first time, and shit, I want it to be good for you, and I want to fall asleep next to you and wake up in the morning and not have to worry about your brother coming in and ruining the moment. I want it to be more than something rushed…and hell, I can't believe I'm backing away now, but when we do get to that, it's going to be so much more than sex, and you know that too."

I smiled softly up at him and ran my fingers down his cheek so he knew I was right there with him.

However, he was not expecting me to flip us over so I was straddling him, leaning over him so I was the one in control.

The shocked look on his face made me laugh out loud, and I leaned down so I was pressed against him and whispered against his lips, "I know. And I love you all the more for it. But that doesn't mean that we have to stop completely, right?"

The darkening of his green eyes to a more olive color gave me all the answer I needed.

* * *

**A/N: Well...I think I might have to change the rating of this story from T to M...I might or I might not, so who knows. BUT THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! Do you think we can get to 100? Or even _more?! _I'm so excited for the next chapter guys, cause Thalia finally gets her wish! I know this was a hard, sad chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please drop a line! Love you all! **

**Oh, and P.S. I'm going back to school a week from today, so I don't know how updating will be, but I think I might be able to stick to my updating schedule...I hope. **


	10. Fly With Me

_Maybe you were just afraid  
__Knowing you were miles away  
__From the place where you needed to be  
__And that's right here with me_

_It's you and me forever  
__You and me right now  
__I'd be alright  
__We're chasing stars to lose our shadow  
__Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
__So won't you fly with me?_

_-Fly With Me, Jonas Brothers_

* * *

Apollo groaned when he sat down on the couch.

"Damn Apollo, sore? You know you're supposed to set up a safety word for a reason, right?"

"You're a fine one to talk, we all saw that giant-ass hickey on Annabeth's neck when we came home."

"Oh please, you wish you could make Thalia half as happy as I made Annabeth."

Thalia stepped in before the argument could escalate and smacked both of them on the back of their heads. They whined in unison, but she just rolled her eyes and turned back to me with an amused look on her face.

I shrugged at her and turned back to cooking my grilled cheese sandwich.

Even though Percy and I hadn't gone all the way, I felt like there had definitely been a shift in the level of intensity and trust between us. The fact that I wasn't a stumbling, blushing mess - well, I was blushing, but not as much as I thought I would - and I managed to keep Luke from hearing what they were saying by playfully flicking cereal at him.

Life was good.

And then Thalia decided to say, "We're going to Disney today, and nothing you asses can say will stop me. I will hog-tie you all and drag you if I have to."

Apollo groaned, plastering his hands to his eyes. Thalia flounced over and straddled his lap, but he still refused to look at her. Smart man; she was sporting her pouting face, the one that made Luke give in and give her anything she wanted when we were younger.

"Nooooo, you already dragged me all around the mall and that's why I'm so sore, pleaseeee have mercy!"

Thalia cast a smirk over to me and leaned down to whisper in Apollo's ear. We could all hear her, but we all pretended we didn't.

"If you're still sore after today, I might be convinced to give you a massage when we come back."

Apollo promptly got up, Thalia still in his arms and walked through the door, calling over his shoulder, "Guys, get the disguises, we're going to Disney!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Beast was about an hour drive away from Anaheim. The drive was a mixture of chaos and laughter.

The boys insisted on singing along to every song on the radio, purposefully being bad if they didn't like the song.

When one of their songs - "Be There" - came on, they immediately starting singing, poking Thalia and I in the sides to make us sing along too.

My hands darted into my purse and I dug out my iPod and plugged it into the radio, much to the protests of the boys.

I had all of their music, including their EP's and some of their own little solo singles. The look Luke was giving me made me laugh; he obviously didn't want me to play anymore of their music, so I humored them and played some of my own favorite songs.

Ellie Goulding's "Burn" played with intense beats over the speakers, and the party continued.

Their driver dropped us off in front of the gates, and Thalia pulled a camera out of her bag. She seemed to have everything in there - one time when we were in the mall and I complained that my watch battery died, she reached in and pulled out a new watch battery and a small screwdriver to fix it. I never understood how her bag could hold all that crap, but I knew better than to ask her.

"EVERYONE IN FRONT OF THE FENCE!"

We all knew better than to fight with Thalia; we all crowded around, and somehow I ended up on Percy's back. We smiled and let Thalia snap the picture.

Another tourist offered to take the photo so we could all be in it, and Thalia jumped up so Apollo was holding her bridal style. Luke had Nico in a slight headlock, and he was trying desperately to get free.

We hurried through the fence, the boys keeping their heads down so the brims of their hats covered their faces. Percy, Nico and Luke had on aviators, but Apollo had on these big-ass sunglasses that made him look like a bug - but of course, it worked on him.

Thalia snatched the map from my hands and opened it. I sighed, but kept my patience.

Thalia had just as rough a beginning as I did, and she told me one - under the influence of cold syrup when she was really sick and I was taking care of her - that she and her brother used to dream of going to Disney and living there on Main Street. I guess this was a big deal for her.

"Okay, we'll go in a slightly organized manner so we can hit up everything, and I am definitely splurging on those 'cut-the-line' passes, because for crying out loud, I don't want to wait an hour for a ride that's over in less than a minute."

Thalia forked over an insane amount of money for the passes, and we each bought our own. Thalia was lucky I loved her, otherwise I would have never spent _that_ much money on passes.

"To Adventureland we go!"

Of course, we went into Tarzan's Treehouse (and promptly got glared at when Percy and Nico decided to do the Tarzan scream), and then cut everybody in line for the Indiana Jones ride.

And then proceeded to go on it three more times. And, to be fair, we waited in line for the forth time - and I have to say, it was nice cuddling with Percy while we waited.

Thalia dragged us through New Orleans Square, making us pose in front of the Haunted Mansion Holiday - but didn't go in, because she's a coward when it comes to that stuff - and then we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, in which I got totally freaked out by the skull right over the dive. Percy laughed his head off at me, so much I was seriously considering throwing him off the boat.

Throughout the park, we took pictures with almost every single character.

I was internally thrilled when we stumbled across Peter Pan and Wendy. I had always been in love with the idea of flying off to Nevernever Land and living with my brother and never growing up.

But as Luke told me in his ever sarcastic and still sweet way, "Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional."

We skipped the little kid attractions, but we did go on all of little kid rides like Alice in Wonderland and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Thalia went nuts with pictures, and I had to admit, I was ogling to appreciate it later.

We took a break, ate some burgers, I stole fries from everyone, and we all laughed as Apollo was chased by pigeons.

Thalia, the sneaky little jerk she was, managed to get a picture of Percy kissing my forehead when we were in front of Cinderella's castle.

But then she pulled out the most horrible thing of all time.

The "It's A Small World" ride. With the creepy singing dolls, the water, and the song that . . .heads.

"Thalia, I love you dearly, but I'm toying with the idea of drowning you in this water."

"I love you too honey-buns."

My ears felt like they were bleeding, but I sucked it up and went through the ride, and almost sprinted off of it when we were done.

In return for the torture Thalia subjected us to, we went on all of the huge roller coasters multiple times, screaming every single time.

Hey, it's what made it fun.

Maybe I could convince them to go to Knotts Berry Farm…

We ended up staying the entire day, drying out from Splash Mountain and then chilling around to watch the parade.

Thalia's eyes grew distant when she watched a little boy with blond hair and big blue eyes point and smile widely at his mother.

I put a silent hand on her shoulder. Nothing I could say would make her feel better, but that didn't mean I had to ignore her suffering.

We stayed for the fireworks as well, but Luke and Nico had ditched us because they "cannot stand the lovey-dovey looks of the people they consider siblings. It's too much like incest to be comforting."

Apparently my brother was following the "growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional" motto to a T.

So, Apollo and Thalia split, probably to find a place without kids to kiss like they were in an R rated movie.

Percy and I found a perfect spot. Well, it was a spot, because only one of us could sit on it.

He didn't even blink. He just sat down and then yanked me down on top of him. Internally, I thanked god I wore jean shorts and not anything more showy.

I curled into him, my head on his shoulder and both of my legs of his lap. My right arm curled around him and drew absent-minded circles on his lower back.

These were the moments I loved best about being with Percy. The quiet moments when my mind would shut up and I could just listen to his heart beat, and we would just be together without needing to talk or do anything.

Dusk fell quickly, and then all the lights went out. Kids had blankets out and were sitting with their parents, their eager faces turned up to the sky.

Disney never did anything half-assed. The firework show was spectacular.

And it did help that Percy was singing in my ear softly. He got points for it _not_ being one of his songs, but he was singing along to the Disney music that was playing in the background. Let's just say he can beat out Shang any damn time he wants.

Seriously, this is the kind of thing that cheesy movies were made out of.

And yes, I am ashamed to say I energy crashed. It had been a long day, and I probably had been in the sun too long without a hat when we were at Autoutopia.

Percy rolled his eyes when I whined and didn't want to move, but in a quick move, he just slid me around and hoisted me up piggy-back style. I was too tired to tease him, so I just rested my face on his shoulder, pressing my face into his neck.

Luke scoffed when he saw us as we left the park, but he did help Percy lay me down in the car. Luke brushed some hair off of my face and I smiled softly at his little display of older-brotherness.

The ride back to Beast was quiet. Thalia was dead to the world, her head in Apollo's lap. The tender look on his face was so sweet, none of the boys made fun of him.

I was drifting in that weird place between sleep and consciousness. Percy had wedged himself in the corner, letting me rest in-between his legs and be cushioned by his chest.

His lips pressed to my temple, lingering there softly. I let out a long, low sigh of contentment. I could feel his smile - not a smirk, but a smile - against my skin as he wrapped his arms more tightly around me, his sea-and-sun-and-salt scent filling my nose and calming me down more than Xanax ever could.

When he scooped me up as if I weight nothing and carried me into the house, gently resting me on our bed (it really was our bed now, since we didn't sleep anywhere else, and I guess he beat out Apollo in the race for the master bedroom) and he even took off my shoes and socks. There was a soft sound of jeans and a sweatshirt hitting the floor, and I clumsily tried to pull of my own shorts.

Percy chuckled under his breath, but he came over to me and helped me out of my shorts and shirt, handing me a shirt of his to sleep in and my sleeping shorts. The fact that none of this felt sexual, and instead felt more _caring_ than anything, made my heart stop in my chest.

Oh my freaking god…

I was in love with him.

There were no fireworks with this epiphany. There was no hallelujah chorus with angels and harps and sparkly glitter and flower petals raining down for the ceiling.

It was nothing more than a contented sigh when I finally got my bra off and thrown off the side of the bed and curled into his side, his arm curling around me protectively. It was nothing more than the roar of the waves and gentle feel of his fingers drawing circles on my side.

There was no freak out on my part, no urge to run screaming in the other direction or analyze how I could have fallen for him so hard and so fast in such a short amount of time.

I just accepted the fact that I was in love with this guy, and closed my eyes and fell asleep next to him.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter's title is "Seventeen Forever." Like the song from Metro Station. Y'all know what's coming, don't you? :) I changed the rating of this story to "M" so anyone who is reading this, PLEASE UNDERSTAND! Please do not review and bash what I write. I gave a warning, and that is that. This is more of a filler chapter for the next one, but I wanted some fluff before the big epic OH MY GOD moment. I'm having so much fun writing this guys, and your reviews and support mean the world to me!**

**Also, as I am going back to school tomorrow, there is a new updating schedule. I might deviate from it occasionally, but please bear with me. During the first week of the month, Ashes and Dust and With Arms Wide Open will be updated, second week will be Call of the Phoenix, third week will be Glimpses and the fourth week is my week off for writing all the next chapters. This WILL change when Call of the Phoenix is completed, which will be pretty soon. And the reason this is taking so long with chapters is because they're getting longer and longer. Normally, when I first started writing, it was about a thousand words, maybe less. Now I'm writing around three thousand words, sometimes more, each chapter. So please bear with me and keep reviewing!**


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